Circuit

Spa-Francorchamps - BELGIUM03/08/2008

Spa-Francorchamps circuit

Spa is one of the most attractive world championship circuits, one of those "old-time" tracks that have never undergone any radical modifications. Set in the green hills of the Ardennes the track retains more or less all the technical features of the original circuit (which was about 14 kilometres long). That means it is very exciting from start to finish and its highly technical layout is capable of really highlighting the difference between a proficient driver and a champion. Racing enthusiasts cannot but be thrilled as cars take the Eau Rouge or Radillon and feel they are in there with the drivers as they tackle this terrifying dip flat out.

Obviously, it is not only Eau Rouge-Radillon which allows drivers to set fast times. The central part of the Spa circuit is intriguing too and characterised by a sequence of fast, swooping corners and short straights. This second stretch is probably the most technical, since it demands special driving skills to avoid spinning (and running fairly low levels of downforce can complicate matters).

After the mixed stretch coming out of the treacherous Stavelot, we go back in history to the evocative straight in the Ardennes woods - Blanchimont - leading to the Bus Stop, the chicane where drivers always come to within a hair's breadth of the wall as they accelerate out. Spa-Francorchamps is also famous for its unsettled weather conditions, which often present drivers with wet and dry sections over a track almost seven kilometres long!